Romanian Deadlift (trying to stretch out my sore hammie)
10/95
8/115
6/135
5/155
Deadlift from Floor
8/135
I stopped because it drives me crazy to have to re-set between reps using the multi-sided plates in my gym. I will be visiting a new gym on Friday that my coach is recommending we possibly move to.
Court: Thanks for chiming in about Smolov. I have done this program once before. I give myself an extra day each week so that it takes me 24 days rather than 21 days to complete the first phase. I set my 1 RM very low to enable me to try to keep pace. I had pain in the psoas last time I did Smolov. So far so good this time. Squatting this often is quite hard on the body, especially at my age (44). I have no qualms using loose knee wraps when I start hitting failure. After I complete phase one, I’ll re-evaluate what I want to do next. It’s a big “if” at this point.
So interesting but I am a really shitty high-rep squatter. Based on multi-rep calculators, my 1 RM should be nowhere near as high as it is. Do you guys find these calculators to be reliable?
Tomorrow is MRI day. I won’t get results until Monday but am actually eager to find out what’s really wrong. I’ve come around to Kimba’s way of thinking that there’s no point in pouting. Figure out the problem and address it ASAP. I ordered “The 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solution.” Anyone familiar with that book?
i just learned how to use the loader thing at the turbo rmlc gym and my god you are so right…it takes half the badness of deadlifts away, its so easy! you should switch to the better gym if you can–with the nice round plates!!
its totally annoying at 24 loading and reloading and etc and lame.
For me, the 1RM calculators are useless because they produce too HIGH a number. As I’ve mentioned before, I have an issue of being able to rep out one weight, and yet struggle to get one rep 5 lbs. heavier. Strength must manifest differently in different people, a variable which is unaccounted for by a mathematical calculation.
Waiting for MRI results until Monday is sucky, but at least you are making forward progress on the fix. Good. Time is of the essence!
I asked one of the big, burly, very important trainers at my gym (24 Hour) if any of the other 24 Hour gyms in town had round weights so I could plan to train there on DL days. I was told that “round weights are dangerous . . . they can roll and hurt someone.” I just looked at him and smiled and said, “Ahh, I see.” I guess I just define “dangerous” a little differently.
Interesting, Kimba, regarding the 1 RM. I think it has to do with muscle fibers?
Snapper, you SO need a new gym. And, you’ve successfully made me appreciate my wimpy-ass gym. There may only be one squat rack, but the weight plates are round.
As for the 1RM thing, I listened to a podcast where Dan John was interviewed at Stumptuous:
where both Dan and Krista seemed to agree that it was very common for women to have “odd” one rep maxes. Whereby a woman could get 10 reps at 135, but only one rep at 140. There wasn’t any explanation for this phenomenon, but the way it was presented suggested to me that this situation is common.
^ I’ve also heard this. When i asked my trainer why I couldn’t put up the 40s on the incline bench press, but I could do high reps at 35, he replied that woman are better at endurance type work due to our muscle fibers.
Stretching out the hammie with RDLs huh? You got some other tips for hammie treatment? (you can answer here or in my log, but yes I’ve been seeing an ART guy for the hamstring)
[quote]CBear84 wrote:
it has to do with the types of muscle fibers we have. we’re engineered for endurance and must overcome that for strength/power. [/quote]
This makes total sense. Endurance is ma thang. For example, in a 100 mile ride, I’m at my strongest from miles 70-90. (The last ten always hurt).
The fibers in my upper body are definitely geared towards endurance. But not lower body. Give me doubles or singles for squat/DL and I can keep climbing WAY beyond what my 5 RM or more predicts I will be able to do.
Had to wait a bit for the cage as there was a guy doing 55-lb. curls in there wearing a belt. Seriously. I told myself that perhaps he was rehabbing a back injury.
Squat
10/45
8/70
5/95
10/3/107
Decline Situps
3/30
Oh, I visited a new gym today. Very dingy, which I loved. ROUND WEIGHTS! Six flat bench stations. And a separate lifting room for women, which would remove some of the non-serious gym-goers. All for $10 a month.
A separate lifting room for women? I don’t know how I feel about that. Does it have cool stuff in it like a squat cage? Is it equipped as well as the “men’s” room?
No, Kimba, there was no cage in the women’s area, just a Smith. It wouldn’t work for me. But I’d rather lift with the men anyway in the big wide-open space.
Smolov is great. Not too hard yet. But I’ve only completed four workouts (one week) and the weights are light. I love being forced to squat every other day. It’s a really fun change for me.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
No, Kimba, there was no cage in the women’s area, just a Smith. It wouldn’t work for me. But I’d rather lift with the men anyway in the big wide-open space.[/quote]
Me too. The men are good entertainment.
At some point I should consider this. Squatting once per week isn’t resulting in huge improvement.
I didn’t think there was a cheaper gym than my $30 a month. R u joining or no? I’ve git mixed feelings on the women’s only section too. if they had people like u in there to show them it’s not just for using 5 lb DBS to do endless reps, then that’s sweet. Otherwise…meh. Squats every other day…I like! I was trainj g kegs 3x a week many months ago. Nit heavy like u if course. But I do believe it helped in hardening mah legs n buns up!
